The Grand River (Ottawa: owashtanong, "Far-Flowing Water") is a river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The longest river in Michigan, the Grand River rises in Hillsdale County, and flows in a generally northwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan in the city of Grand Haven. The river flows through a number of cities, including Jackson, Lansing, Ionia, and Grand Rapids.
The river was famous for its mile-long, 300-yard-wide, and 10-to-15-foot-tall rapids, for which the city of Grand Rapids was named. These rapids were submerged following the construction of numerous dams, starting in 1835, and flooding of areas behind the dams. The river has not had any rapids for nearly a century.
Course
thumb|Island Park on the Grand River at [[Grand Ledge, Michigan|Grand Ledge]]
The headwaters of the Grand River begin from natural springs in Somerset Township in Hillsdale County near the boundary with Liberty Township in Jackson County. From there, the river flows through Jackson, Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Ionia, Kent, and Ottawa counties before emptying into Lake Michigan. The river runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Dimondale, Lansing, Grand Ledge, Portland, Ionia, Lowell, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.
Hydrology
The Grand River is a major tributary of Lake Michigan. It falls in elevation from 1260 ft. in the highlands of its headwaters to 577 ft. at its mouth on Lake Michigan. Its waters drain northward through the lake, then south and east through the Great Lakes waterways into the St. Lawrence River, which flows northeasterly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Atlantic Ocean. The Grand River discharges an estimated average .
Lower
- Grand River (6th Street)
- Grand River
Middle
- Lyons (removed in 2016)
- Grand Ledge
- Portland
- North Lansing
- Moores Park
- Webber (hydroelectric)
Upper
- State Street
- Moore's Park (hydroelectric)
- Sanitation
- Smithville (hydroelectric)
Headwaters
- Liberty Mills
- Crystal Lake
- Mirror Lake
- Lake LeAnn North
- Lake LeAnn South
Ecology
It is estimated that 22% of the pesticide usage in the Lake Michigan watershed occurs in the Grand River drainage, which accounts for only 13% of the lake's total watershed. The river is a trout and salmon stream for much of its length, also being a location for Lake Sturgeon travel up the Grand to lay their eggs.
History
As the glacial ice receded from what is the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan around 11,000 years ago, the Maple River and lower Grand River served as a drainage channel for the meltwater from a glacial stage of Lake Erie and Lake Huron. The channel ran east to west, emptying into proglacial Lake Chicago, the ancestor of Lake Michigan. During this period, the upper Grand River was a separate tributary to the Maple River-lower Grand River system. As the developing Great Lakes found lower outlets and began to drain east and lower the level of these lakes, the Maple River contributed less and less of the upper Grand River's flow until the former upper Grand River became the lower river's primary source.
About 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell Indians settled along the Grand River near present-day Grandville. Their presence is still seen in the preserved burial mounds.
By the late 17th century, the Grand River band of Odawa had established villages on the banks of the Grand River at the sites of what would later become several towns and cities, including Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Lowell, Lyons, and Portland. For these peoples, as well as for later explorers, fur traders and settlers, the river served as an important navigational trade route and cultural hub.
Grand River Avenue (or Grand River Road) was built early in the settlement of Michigan and ran from the head of navigation on the Grand to downtown Detroit. It formed an important part of an early route between Chicago and Detroit, along with the Grand itself, from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven on Lake Michigan.
A fish ladder installed in 1974 replaced the West Side Water Power Canal headgates removed in 1960. In recent years, Grand Rapids Whitewater, a private nonprofit organization, is working toward restoring the rapids to the river in Grand Rapids. The project, which began in 2019, will remove five dams between Sixth street and Pearl street to restore an 18-foot drop in the Grand River's elevation.
Points of interest
Two of Grand Valley State University's campuses are located on the banks of the Grand River. The main campus in Allendale and the Pew Grand Rapids campus in Grand Rapids both border the river in separate locations miles from each other. The Grand is home to GVSU's rowing team, and the crew boathouse sits parallel to the river on the Allendale campus's north side.
Coast Guard Station Grand Haven is situated near the mouth of the river in Grand Haven. The station gives Grand Haven its nickname Coast Guard City USA.
Parks, docks and recreational facilities
- Millennium Park (Grand Rapids), the largest park in western Michigan, larger than Central Park, NY
Crossings
At least 80 bridges cross the river's 250-mile span, with most bridge structures clustered in metropolitan/municipal areas along the river. County road and state highway crossings can be found in less densely populated areas along the waterway:
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Bridge Crossings
!Route
!Type
!City
!County
!Location
|-
|
|US Route
|Grand Haven
| rowspan="4"|Ottawa
|
|-
|
|Michigan Highway
|
|
|-
|68th Avenue
|County Road
|
|
|-
| (Lake Michigan Dr)
|Michigan Highway
|Allendale
|
|-
| (Wilson Avenue SW)
|Michigan Highway
|Grandville
| rowspan="20" |Kent
|
|-
|Kent Trails Grand River Bridge Trail
|Pedestrian Bridge
|Wyoming
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|
|-
|Wealthy Street SW
|City Street
| rowspan="10" |Grand Rapids
|
|-
|
|US Route
|
|-
|Fulton Street West
|City Street
|
|-
|The Blue Bridge
|Pedestrian Bridge
|
|-
|Pearl Street NW
|City Street
|
|-
|Gillett Bridge
|Pedestrian Bridge
|
|-
|Bridge Street NW
|City Street
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|-
|6th Street NW
|City Street
|
|-
|Leonard Street NW
|City Street
|
|-
|Ann Street NW
|City Street
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|-
|North Park Street NE
|City Street
|
|
|-
|Jupiter Avenue NE
|City Street
|
|
|-
| (Northland Drive NE)
|City Street
|
|
|-
|Knapp Street
|County Road
|
|
|-
| (Fulton Street)
|Michigan Highway
|
|
|-
|Segwun Avenue
|City Street
| rowspan="2" |Lowell
|
|-
|South Division Street
|City Street
|
|-
|North Bridge Street
|City Street
|Saranac
| rowspan="11" |Ionia
|
|-
|Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail
|Pedestrian Bridge
| rowspan="3" |Ionia
|
|-
|
|Michigan Highway
|
|-
|Cleveland Street
|City Street
|
|-
|West Bridge Street
|City Street
|Lyons
|
|-
|David Hwy
|County Road
|
|
|-
|West Grand River Avenue
|City Street
| rowspan="4" |Portland
|
|-
|West Bridge Street
|City Street
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|-
|Kent Street
|City Street
|
|-
|Charlotte Highway
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Jones Road
|County Road
|
| rowspan="2" |Clinton
|
|-
|West State Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Bridge St
|City Street
|Grand Ledge
| rowspan="3" |Eaton
|
|-
|/
|Interstate Highway
|
|
|-
|Webster Road
|City Street
|
|
|-
|South Waverly Road
|City Street
| rowspan="20" |Lansing
| rowspan="20" |Ingham
|
|-
|Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
|City Street
|
|-
|North Grand River Avenue
|City Street
|
|-
|East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue
|City Street
|
|-
|East Oakland Avenue
|City Street
|
|-
|East Saginaw Highway
|City Street
|
|-
|Lansing Riverwalk Grand River Railroad Bridge
|City Street
|
|-
|East Shiawassee Street
|City Street
|
|-
|East Michigan Avenue
|City Street
|
|-
|East Kalamazoo Street
|City Street
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|-
|South Washington Street
|City Street
|
|-
|Lansing River Trail
|Pedestrian Bridge
|
|-
|West Elm Street
|City Street
|
|-
| (Northbound)
|Michigan Highway
|
|-
| (Southbound)
|Michigan Highway
|
|-
|Island Avenue
|City Street
|
|-
|Lansing River Trail
|Pedestrian Bridge
|
|-
|Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard NB
|City Street
|
|-
|Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard SB
|City Street
|
|-
|South Waverly Road
|City Street
|
| rowspan="14" |Eaton
|
|-
|South Creyts Road
|City Street
|
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|
|-
|South Bridge Street
|City Street
|Dimondale
|
|-
| (Southbound)
|Michigan Highway
|
|
|-
| (Northbound)
|Michigan Highway
|
|
|-
|North Waverly Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|West Columbia Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Bunker Highway
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Petrieville Highway
|County Road
|
|
|-
|East Knight Street
|City Street
| rowspan="2" |Eaton Rapids
|
|-
|State Street
|City Street
|
|-
|Smithville Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|South Waverly Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Gale Road
|County Road
|
| rowspan="3" |Ingham
|
|-
|Kinneville Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|South Onondaga Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Old Plank Road
|County Road
|
| rowspan="16" |Jackson
|
|-
|Tompkins Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Rives Eaton Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Jackson and Lansing Railroad
|Railroad
|
|
|-
|Churchill Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|
|US Route
|
|
|-
|Lansing Avenue
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Berry Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Maplegrove Road
|County Road
|
|
|-
|Parnall Avenue
|County Road
|
|
|-
|
|Interstate Highway
|
|
|-
|Monroe Street
|City Street
| rowspan="5" |Jackson
|
|-
|North Street
|City Street
|
|-
|Ganson Street
|City Street
|
|-
|Pearl Street
|City Street
|
|-
|Morrell Street
|City Street
|
|}
<gallery>
File:Convergence of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers (Lansing, Michigan).jpg|Convergence of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers in downtown Lansing
File:North_Lansing_dam.jpg|The Grand River's North Lansing dam, near downtown Lansing
File:Grand River, Grand Rapids.jpg|The Grand River through downtown Grand Rapids
File:Grand River Watershed.gif|The Grand River Watershed
</gallery>
See also
- List of Michigan rivers
- U.S. Route 16 in Michigan, whose original roadbed between Detroit and Grand Haven is known as Grand River Road, or Grand River Avenue in communities along the route